If you are based in DFW then I would stay in dallas area. I am in Austin right now and it is "Not Cheap!" I lived in the Dallas area for 20 years and it is much cheaper (housing, gas, food). Of course it all depends on where you what part of town you want to live in. Expect to pay 25k more for the same size house in Austin compared to a city like Mckinney, Tx which is 40 minutes from DFW.